Paperjam

Letter from Australia 5

Travel // Vanessa // 6th September 2003

If there's one thing more gutting than Hugh Jackman being married it's when the chance of eating mouth watering seafood I'd been dreaming of devouring since being on the coast came up, I'd chundered so much that my stomach couldn't even handle a biscuit.

This oh so pleasant encounter happened while on a journey out to the Great Barrier Reef last week. Anyone who knows me will know that when it comes to food, I'm the first in the queue. They will also know that I get sea sick as soon as I step on the boat. But no, this time I'd taken precautions. Taken my travel sickness tablet 20 minutes before, but as soon as the ferry left port, I was useless. And I still had two glorious hours before we reached the reef. And it happened to be a very rough day at sea.
No sun, just plenty of wind.

The company we booked this lovely trip with were actually brilliant. They'd not only laid on morning tea, coffee and yummy chocolate biscuits (none of this Kwik Save own brand crap), there was a massive sea food lunch with lots of salad and bread rolls, trays of the freshest tropical fruit and in the afternoon, cake too, but they were also on hand as soon as I spilled my guts into their complimentary barbecue chicken bags.

All so polite too! How nice.

Frustrated husband (not so frustrated these days I might add) wasn't much help either as he sat head between legs, trying not to bring up his toast and tea either.
After arriving at the John Brewer Reef, weather certainly not much better, but not as windy thank god, tried getting in the water for a bit of snorkelling and I'm glad to report, all feelings of sickness soon vanished and was replaced by an OH MY GOD I'M SWIMMING WITH THE FISHEEES!!!

Great Wall of China aside, this was the most amazing experience of my life. For someone who won't even go in the deep end of the swimming pool and refuses to swim in the sea (well, Jaws might be a bit peckish..), I was mighty proud of my feat of swimming in the middle of the bloody Pacific. Even the sickness was worth it. I just have to add, that the sickness wasn't just a puke. It was a real heave from the bottom of the guts. You know when you're retching after being a bit too drunk and there's nothing else left to bring up? It was like that. Thankfully, on the journey back I managed to doze most of the way.

The relief was very obvious as I stepped back onto land and headed straight for the bar and a big jug of Illusion..and then straight to bed as I'm an old married now and can't hack the backpacker pace...

Vanessa

PS While we're on the topic of accomplishments, I've also held a python, koala, wombat (I don't care what anyone says, they're cuter than Koalas), salt water croc (no, not a fully grown one but it still managed to look evil..)